August 8, 2022: One of the most awesome things about being part of a metal “brotherhood” gig is the sheer energy that won’t drop for a minuscule second even when things begin to look a little awry. A last minute venue change (from Club Freedom, Andheri West to Zouk, Andheri East) became just a matter of geographical dislocation. The real dislocation happened emotionally, when two of the scariest (not horror) death metal acts in Mumbai took stage at the Bombay Asylum Vol II The Rot Pack - Gutslit and Reptilian Death. Both bands gave performances that ground your very core to almost perfectly precision. Gutslit and Reptilian Death’s 35-minute setlists took the crowd through their new albums, “Skewered In The Skewer” and “The Dawn Of Consummation And Emergence.” The star of their sets was 19-year-old Prateek Rajagopal who took on axeman duties for both the bands with gutslittin’ and deadly energy. Reptilian Death, owing to their multiple lineup changes, managed to bring on their mojo when frontman Sahil Makhija slapped on that face paint and took to the drums and vocals with a vengeance. Guitarist Ashwin Shriyan accompanied him on guest vocals. There were those few moments when Makhija switched on his power mode and everybody fell in line when he yelled, “Come forth my children, come forth.” Winners of the Opening Band contest Anthracite delivered a spirited performance when they opened the night.
Pictures - Sushant Sawant
